The College of Music & Performing Arts Viewbook

THE COLLEGE OF

MUSIC & PERFORMING ARTS

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the College of Music & Performing Arts at Belmont University. CMPA is a place where you can feed your creativity while fully developing your talent. We offer internationally recognized, nationally-accredited programs in music, theatre and dance.

Our excellent artist-faculty will teach and mentor you through innovative curriculum and experiences to prepare you to thrive in 21st century arts careers. We provide opportunities to connect and learn through study away, internships, guest artists and alumni. The vibrant arts culture in Nashville enhances our top-rated programs by providing opportunities and partnerships.

CMPA is embedded in a top-rated university that values the arts, is student-centered and provides the best of liberal arts and professional education in a Christian community of learning and service.

As Dean of the college, I am honored to serve Belmont and use my diverse experiences as a performer, musician, teacher and arts leader to ensure that we are providing a relevant and engaging experience for students. I invite you to join our creative community. We are truly committed to challenging you to develop your passions and talents to meet the world’s needs.

S T E P H E N E AV E S , D . M . A .

Dean of the College of Music & Performing Arts

ABOUT THE COLLEGE OF MUSIC & PERFORMING ARTS The College of Music & Performing Arts is a vibrant creative community with nationally recognized and accredited programs in the School of Music and the Department of Theatre & Dance.

The School of Music offers 12 majors under the Bachelor of Music, the Bachelor of Fine Arts or the Bachelor of Arts, as well as the music minor and six majors under the Master of Music.

The Department of Theatre & Dance offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts with four areas of concentration (performance, directing, production design and theatre education), the Bachelor of Arts with a major in theatre as well as a theatre minor and a dance minor. Belmont School of Music offers a wide-variety of genres with strengths in both classical and contemporary programs.

OPPORTUNITIES OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM The College of Music & Performing Arts offers a variety of ways for students to gain professional experience to serve the Nashville community and beyond. Contrary to popular belief, “Music City” has expanded to offer so much more than just country music. Nashville celebrates all music including genres such as: jazz, pop, classical music, blues, rock and so much more. CMPA has partnerships with companies and organizations including W.O. Smith Community Music School, Studio Tenn, The Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Tennessee Arts Academy, Epiphany Modern Dance Company and Nashville Opera. Several national music and theatre organizations have active campus chapters. Music Education majors spend a semester student teaching and Music Therapy majors are placed in health care facilities. The student-led Belmont Reparatory Theatre performs in elementary schools. Several music ensembles tour regionally and internationally.

87% F IR ST DEST IN AT IO N R AT E

14

majors

30+ Master Classes Offered

67

full-time faculty

950+ STUDENTS

MAJORS BACHELOR OF MUSIC Church Music Commercial Music Composition Music Education Music Performance Music with an Outside Minor Music Technology Musical Theatre Music Theory Music Therapy Piano Pedagogy

BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS Musical Theatre

BACHELOR OF ARTS Music Music with Musical Theatre Emphasis

MUSIC MINOR

SCHOOL OF MUSIC Belmont’s School of Music seeks to be a premier comprehensive school of music, nationally recognized for distinctive programs that are committed to high standards of artistic scholarship and performance while championing innovation and stylistic diversity. The school offers its students a winning combination of large university resources and personal, small college service. Our world-class instructors, wide variety of degrees and resources place us among the best music schools in the country—yet our students also benefit from a sense of community that is rare at large universities.

200+

ANNUAL STUDENT R E C I TA L S

K AY L E I G H M O Y E R Commercial Music

“I’m a professional drummer and percussionist based in Nashville, Tennessee, specializing in live performance, touring, recording and clinics. I played with Keith Urban on the CMT Artists of the Year 2014, which was nominated for CMT’s Performance of the Year in 2015. I have played multiple times on the Grand Ole Opry, recently completed a two-year world tour with Barrage 8, and have hosted clinics and masterclasses at middle schools, high schools and universities across the country. Because of Belmont’s location and its professors’ ties in the Nashville music scene, I was able to network, make contacts, record and play music to integrate myself into the music industry in Nashville while I was still a student. This prepared me for a successful transition into my professional career after graduation. The curriculum of Belmont’s Commercial Music program, professors like Chester Thompson and Dr. Christopher Norton and my fellow classmates (many of whom I am still friends with and work with to this day) are all factors that importantly shaped me into the musician, person and professional I am today.”

ANNUAL

“Christmas at Belmont” concert Nationally Broadcast on PBS for 18 Years

AL LSTEINWAY S C H OOL

ENSEMBLES Belmont University’s School of Music offers students a variety of performing ensembles that showcase the School of Music’s incredible musical diversity. From classical chamber groups to popular music ensembles, the School of Music provides many performance opportunities, encompassing 25 instrumental and 14 vocal ensembles.

OPPORTUNITIES ABROAD With our International Exchange program, students in the School of Music can spend up to two semesters at any of the following schools: • University of Manchester—Manchester, England • Russian Academy of Music (Gnesins School)—Moscow, Russia • Hochschule für Musik—Dresden, Germany • Edinburgh Napier University/Arcadia University—Edinburgh, Scotland • Music Academy/Scottish Royal Conservatory—Glasgow, Scotland • Queen’s University—Belfast, Northern Ireland Maymester locations have included Central Europe, Rome and Paris.

For students wishing to remain stateside, the Belmont USA program offers semester-long programs in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.

D E O N T E WA R R E N Musical Theatre

“I’m currently a standby for Genie and Babkak in “Aladdin” on Broadway. It’s been a long road to reaching this amazing milestone in my career. That road included local theatre in Nashville, three cruise ship contracts and multiple regional theatre productions in South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Arizona. I toured the U.S. and Japan with “Dreamgirls” and “Sister Act,” both musicals, and performed in the “Festival of the Lion King” in Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort. None of that would have been possible if not for the four years I spent at Belmont. The truly beautiful people who poured love and encouragement into me have stayed with me all these years. Some of my closest friends were found there! The practical knowledge that I learned has served as a strong foundation to build a career on. I’m so blessed to have found Belmont and so excited about the future.”

The Belmont University School of Music is a fully accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) and is officially an All-Steinway School.

Partnership with four different

PROFESSIONAL

THE ATRE C O M PA N I E S

DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE & DANCE

The Belmont University Theatre program is a student-centered, professional training program that prepares students for work in a variety of entertainment fields. The Department of Theatre & Dance is committed to a liberal arts foundation as an effective means of preparing students who want to pursue theatre as a life’s work. This commitment is reflected in the system of training that stresses the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of the theatrical performance and production process.

M A S O N S U L L I VA N Theatre Performance

The department offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), a degree designed for the student wanting to pursue a career as an entertainment professional. The B.F.A. has four emphasis areas including performance, directing, production design and theatre

“The final words that President Bob Fisher said to my graduating class in May of 2014 were ‘From Here to Anywhere.’ That statement could not have been more true. Since my graduation at Belmont, I was accepted

education. The department also offers a Bachelor of Arts program, which requires that students be exposed to the cultural, sociopolitical and historical knowledge that serves as the core of the theatrical tradition and current professional standards.

into The Actor’s Studio Drama School—one of the Top 10

In addition to the two main programs of study, the department

Graduate Drama Schools in the United States. I have just

offers a theatre minor and a dance minor.

recently graduated from ASDS and am working actively in the industry. I recently booked a paid feature and am meeting a world of agents and casting directors. Belmont University’s Theatre Department laid the groundwork for what would catapult me in the years beyond and into employment. The team that Paul Gatrell assembles and maintains is absolutely among the best that any student will find anywhere. While your degree may be a bachelor’s, their program is every bit as strong as any master’s degree you’ll find anywhere.”

BENJAMIN REED Theatre & Drama

“I have been a company member with the American Shakespeare Center since 2014. The ASC is home of the beautiful Blackfriars Playhouse, the world’s only recreation of Shakespeare’s indoor theatre located in

2 0 1 6 K E N N E DY C E N T E R AWA R D for Distinguhed Perfomance

Staunton, Virginia. This season, I am playing Peter in “Peter and the Starcatcher” and Claudio in “Much Ado About Nothing.” I am also the season’s Fight Captain and have taught masterclasses for Mary Baldwin University.

The program at Belmont laid the groundwork for me to go on to earn my M.F.A. and to work with the industry’s leading professionals at such theaters as The Alley, Houston Shakespeare Festival, Tennessee Repertory Theatre and the American Shakespeare Center.”

STAGED 21 SENIOR FINAL PROJECTS

OPPORTUNITIES ABROAD MAJORS

Study Abroad opportunities are offered through the Belmont in London program each summer; for students wishing to remain stateside, the

BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS Theatre with an Emphasis in Directing

Belmont USA program offers semester-long programs in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.

Theatre with an Emphasis in Production Design Theatre with an Emphasis

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

in Performance Theatre with an Emphasis in Theatre Education

The Department of Theatre & Dance is proud to be home to two professional companies in residence, The Nashville Shakespeare Festival and Verge Theatre. The Department also has partnerships with

BACHELOR OF ARTS

community theatre and dance companies including Studio Tenn, The

Theatre & Drama

Rejoice Ministries and Salama Ministries. These relationships offer unique

MINORS Dance Theatre

Nashville Children’s Theatre, The Epiphany Modern Dance Company, opportunities for students to work side by side with professional actors and dancers. Some productions allow students to gain Equity credit.

Bachelor of Fine Arts majors are required to stage a final project for their selected emphasis area. These Senior Capstone projects are performances or production design. During their time at Belmont, Theatre students gain experience in all aspects of the main-stage performances including set design, stage building, clothing design, front of house and stage crew.

FA C U LT Y A N D A L U M N I T E S T I M O N I A L S D AV I D C I S T R U N K Commercial Music

“Belmont University’s School of Music has played such a strong role in preparing me to be a true professional singer and musician. It’s more than just coming to class and learning about music. In every class, you’re experiencing something new­—whether through your applied voice lessons and music ensemble rehearsals, or through developing relationships with the multi-talented peers that surround you. This school is top-notch! I feel confident that when I leave Belmont, I’ll be ready to go into every musical opportunity outside of Belmont as a top-notch musician.”

ERIN GRACE BAILEY Theatre Performance

“I have grown so much as a Belmont student in the Theatre Department. I’ve grown as an artist and as a person as well. The well-rounded curriculum in our department has allowed me to try many new things!

Our faculty are great at making an overall safe and positive environment! More importantly, the students, faculty and administration really want to see you succeed. It was clear from the moment that I stepped onto the campus that I was already cared for—I can truly say that hasn’t changed during my time here.”

ALEX GRAHAM Coordinator of Commercial Music Associate Professor of Saxophone

“My primary goal at Belmont is to provide students with a solid foundation of skills and knowledge upon which they may continue their studies in graduate school and eventually become professional musicians and educators. To prepare my students for the professional world, I make a point of involving them in professional performance opportunities whenever I can. Since 2008, I have invited select students to study and work with me at The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, MI where I have served as music director since 2001. During their time at Grand Hotel, students spend up to thirty hours a week performing a wide variety of jazz and popular music styles and participating in variety of weekly masterclasses.

Through this program, I have seen students grow tremendously as performers and leaders, a growth that is abundantly evident in September when they return to the classroom. It is precisely this kind of growth that motivates my teaching and that gives my students the additional edge that they will need as they prepare for a career in music.”

LAUREN MINCEY Theatre & Drama

“Belmont’s Department of Theatre has taught me not only how to be a professional but a compassionate human being. The faculty trains us to build on our individual strengths and become flexible, well-rounded artists. They work tirelessly so that we are able to learn in an environment that is as close to a professional theatre as possible. Training here is an experience that has more than prepared me to work in the industry.”

MIRANDA ROJAS Music Performance

“The School of Music at Belmont is the perfect environment where I can grow as a person and musician.

The faculty are not afraid to challenge students to be their best, while staying supportive. All of my teachers have pushed me to grow and improve in ways that I could have never imagined. Belmont students look out for each other, and I treasure all of the friendships that I have made here. I know that I will be leaving Belmont more technically and musically proficient than I entered and with the practical knowledge to build my dream career.”

BRENT MADDOX Chair, Department of Theatre and Dance Associate Professor of Theatre

“As the coordinator of the B.F.A. Theatre Performance program, my primary goal is preparing students in the development of their artistic skills, creative abilities and critical faculties necessary for work in a variety of entertainment fields. Our program offers a safe, diverse and inclusive environment, cultivating student-centered collaboration and ensembles where students can exercise their talents, develop their individual potential and grow as a community of theatre artists­­—an ideal that was recognized by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in 2016 for “Outstanding Production Ensemble.”

Through rigorous training in acting, voice and movement; masterclasses with guest artists; connections with professional theatre companies in Nashville; and unique study abroad opportunities in London, New York and L.A., my students are equipped with the technique and experience necessary for success in a highly competitive market. In this system of training, I have witnessed my students become compassionate, well-rounded artists, who possess the personal integrity and work ethic to serve the greater community through the transformative power of the performing arts.”

The Fisher Center

FACILITIES FISHER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

M U S I C FA C I L I T I E S The Sam A. Wilson Building contains the School of Music offices, faculty studios and offices, classroom and rehearsal spaces, practice

The brand new state-of-the-art performing arts center on Belmont Boulevard is home to a 1,700-seat multi-purpose theatre, a grand lobby and two contiguous event spaces with the goal of being the finest music performance hall on any college campus in the world.

rooms, a piano lab, vocal arts lab and two music technology labs.

The Hitch Building contains practice rooms, a Wicks practice pipe organ, classrooms and rehearsal space.

The McAfee Concert Hall was renovated in 2012. This 876-seat venue is the performance home of the University’s classical choral and instrumental ensembles. The hall features a refurbished 55-rank Aeolian Skinner Organ and two Steinway Grand Pianos.

The Massey Performing Arts Center is bustling year-round with student recitals, concerts, guest artists and lecturers, musical theatre, opera, summer camps and campus and community events.

The music section of the Lila D. Bunch Library holds more than 12,000 books, 15,000 scores and subscriptions to multiple electronic databases, journals and music streaming services. The Media Center contains an extensive catalog of audio and video resources and loanable technology.

The Fisher Center

The library also houses the Gallery of Iconic Guitars (GIG), a vintage instrument museum.

T H E AT R E FA C I L I T I E S AND PRODUCTIONS The Troutt Theater is a 300-seat proscenium theater, equipped with state-of-the-art lighting and equipment and also serves as a performance and teaching facility.

The Black Box Theater is a 150-seat experimental performance and classroom venue that is the second stage for the Department of Theatre & Dance and a classroom facility for all movement-based performance courses.

Bill and Carole Troutt Theater

The Department of Theatre & Dance produces seven main-stage productions, two dance productions and a Belmont Rep ensemble each year. Previous productions include Crumbs from the Table of Joy (2019–20) William Shakespeare’s As You Like It (2018–19), Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire (2016–17), The Amish Project (2016–17), Alice in Wonderland (2015–16) and Hedda Gabler (2014–15).

Each year student designers and actors are nominated for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival National Awards.

Black Box Theater

McAfee Concert Hall

HOW TO APPLY

COLLEGE OF MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS ADMISSION The college search process is an exciting one, and we at Belmont and in the College of Music and Performing Arts are here to help you along your journey. In addition to admission to the University, all programs in the School of Music, along with select programs in the Department of Theatre and Dance require either an audition or a portfolio. For more information about audition and portfolio requirements, visit our website at belmont.edu/cmpa.

We look forward to working with you through this thrilling time and hope to welcome you to our beautiful campus as you become a Belmont Bruin!

Apply at Belmont.edu/apply

To see our calendar of events visit

CMPAE VE NTS.BE L MON T. EDU

S C A N H E R E F O R A U D I T I O N R E Q U I R E M E N T S A N D D AT E S :

School of Music

Department of Theatre

THE COLLEGE OF MUSIC & PERFORMING ARTS 1900 Belmont Boulevard Nashville, TN 37212 615.460.6408 belmont.edu/cmpa

/BelmontUniversitySchoolofMusic

/BelmontUniversityDepartmentofTheatreandDance

@BelmontCMPA

Nondiscrimination statement: Belmont University is a Christian community. The University faculty, administration and staff uphold Jesus as the Christ and as the measure for all things. As a community seeking to uphold Christian standards of morality, ethics and conduct, Belmont University holds high expectations of each person who chooses to join the community. In compliance with federal law, including provisions of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Belmont University does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, military service or sexual orientation in its administration of education policies, programs, activities or admissions. The Director of Title IX Compliance and Prevention Programs serves as coordinator of compliance for these policies. Inquiries should be directed to: Lauri Chaudoin, Director of Title IX Compliance and Prevention Programs, Freeman Hall 3rd floor, 1900 Belmont Blvd., Nashville, TN 37212. Phone: 615.460.5661. Email:lauri.chaudoin@belmont.edu. For more information on Belmont’s nondiscrimination policy, visit www.belmont.edu/nondiscrimination.

CMPA-224102